BAAL - Calvary Baptist Church, 17430 94TH AVE, TINLEY PARK ...



BAAL

WORSHIP

ANCIENT

AND

MODERN

Pastor Tim Spitsbergen

Calvary Baptist Church

17430 94th Ave

Tinley Park IL 60487

708 349 0107

What is Baal Worship?

There are many things that need to be said to describe Baal worship. Any person who is familiar with the Old Testament scriptures will immediately recognize that Baal worship was an ancient idolatrous religion of the land of Canaan. God’s people were not to learn of it but were to totally destroy the remnants of it when they conquered the land of Canaan. Unfortunately they never fully drove out the inhabitants of the land that practiced Baal worship and at multiple times throughout their history took up the practice of Baal worship in various forms and to various degrees attempting to make a merger of the Covenant with the Lord with Baal worship. We have such people today that do the same thing. There is a great attempt today being made to merge the New Testament Christian church with Baal worship and to explain Baal worship as Christianity in types. We must not fall to such deception. Baal worship originally and in its modern form is counterfeit and originates with Satan and is the worship of devils.

Baal worship is the Canaanite version of the mystery religion founded by Nimrod. The descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham and grandson of Noah, that settled this region for which the land is named practiced this form of the mystery religion of Nimrod after the tower of Babel. The mystery religion or pagan religion of Nimrod was taken by all the people dispersed at the tower of Babel to the locations they were driven to all over the world and practiced instead of the worship of the Lord. Each version of the mystery religion varied slightly but all had the same basic elements.

Baal worship is the god/goddess/child worship found in the pagan religions of the world. In Assyria it was Ninus and Semaramis worship. In Egypt it was Osiris and Isis worship. In Mesopotamia it was Marduk and Ashera worship. In Greece it was Helios and Ceres worship. In Rome it was Jupiter and Venus worship. In India it was Isi and Iswara worship. In Asia it was Cybele and Deoius worship. In China it was Shing moo worship. In Syria it was Hadad and Ishtar worship. But in Canaan it was Baal and Ashtaroth worship. Many of these ancient pagan religions have extant relics of the goddess mother and child all before Christ. Ziggurats, high places, sun, moon and stars, trees and various rituals and superstitions with feasts such as the feast for the dead and sunrise feasts accompanied these religions.

Baal worship is the celebration of four epochs in the life of Baal. Each epoch corresponds to a major event in human history. Each epoch corresponds with nature and the seasons of the sun, moon and stars. Each epoch is portrayed as the triumph of good over evil and god over the dragon but is actually the opposite of evil triumphing over good and Satan triumphing over God.

1. The first epoch is Baal’s triumph over Yamm.

Baal represents Lord of heaven and earth, the sun and rain and therefore earth’s fertility. He is the god of fertility. He is depicted in ancient artifacts as having a club in one hand and lightning bolt in the other. Yamm is the son of El (God) and is the god of the ocean. As enemy to Baal and with El’s permission Yamm blocked out the sun and sought to

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destroy the earth. Yamm represents in history the worldwide flood of Noah. Yamm in nature represents the winter season. The ancient calendar year or crop year ended at the end of October. It is believed that this is the time of the year of the worldwide flood that destroyed the whole earth. According to Genesis 7:24, “And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.” The flood extended through the winter season and the waters did not begin to recede until the Spring time season. The ancient mystery religions celebrated the end of the year at the end of October with a festival for the dead.

The observance of this event was always connected with the memory of the dead…observed as a feast of the ancestors. The natives of Australia painted white stripes over their arms, legs and ribs dancing by the light of the fire appearing like skeletons celebrating. In Peru and Mexico it was called Ayamarka which signified, carrying a corpse. The festival was celebrated with songs and music and by placing food and drink upon the graves of the dead. The Persians called it Mordad for the angel of death and had a feast for the dead. The Celtic Druids of the British Isles believed at this time of the year that the spirits of all the dead were released and carried by boats to the judgment…a remembrance of the dead seems to point to one common calamity of the human race, the global world-wide flood of Genesis.

The Roman Catholic church took this common pagan festival and adopted it into Catholicism and called it all hallows eve followed by all saints day. Today it is called Halloween.

2. The second epoch is Baal’s exaltation in building his high place where he was to be worshipped.

Baal is portrayed as god destroying the water dragon of the ocean. The coming of Spring is the celebration of Baal triumphing over Yamm the evil god of the ocean. Let us remember though that God destroyed the world with a flood because of the “wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…the earth was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence.” (Gen.6:5,11).

The resulting earth that dried out became Baal’s kingdom to rule and bless with fertility. Baal desired to build a high place to be worshipped as god of heaven and earth. Baal sought permission from El’s wife Ashteroth. Ashteroth gave approval. In Baal worship the high place was on the highest hill. For Nimrod and many of the other pagan religions that high place was a tower or ziggurat after the tower of Babel dedicated to the sun, moon and stars or as the scriptures put it, “the host of heaven”. The second epoch of Baal worship celebrates Baal’s kingdom and blessings of fertility and the return of Spring by the building of the tower of Babel or the high place for worshipping Baal and Ashtaroth and the host of heaven.

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The pagan religions celebrated the triumph of the sun god over darkness with a sunrise festival. This is what is described in Israel in Ezekiel 8:16.

And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house and behold at the door of the temple of the LORD between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

All the earth gathers together to worship Baal and Ashteroth, in a spring, morning, seasonal, festival named after Ashteroth or Ishtar. There are eggs and rabbits to celebrate the rituals of fertility for the goddess of fertility. On the darker side there were temple prostitutes to practice ritualistic prostitution for the hope of blessings of fertility.

The Roman Catholic church took this common pagan festival and adopted it into Roman Catholicism, to celebrate resurrection from the dead. They called it Easter.

3. The third epoch of Baal worship is Baal’s conflict with Mot.

Mot is the name for death that came to Baal. Mot crushed Baal’s head and took him down to the deep. Before his death Baal impregnated his virgin cohort Anat who will bear a son to rule in the place of Baal.

This virgin is referred to in Jeremiah 44:25, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel saying, Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hand saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed to burn incense to the queen of heaven…” The virgin in Baal worship was honored weekly with the burning of incense and the vowing of vows and the offering of offerings.

The Roman Catholic church has taken this pagan practice and adopted it into Roman Catholicism in the weekly mass of burning incense, rosary and prayers to Mary the Mother of God, Queen of Heaven.

The season is summer and the death is drought and death to crops.

Historical tradition has it that Nimrod experienced a violent death at the hands of Shem, Noah’s son after the tower of Babel. Then God drove all people to overspread the earth by the confusion of the languages.

The spiritual event represented is the cross of Christ where Satan’s head was crushed. Mott represents the Gospel that goes throughout the whole world and defeats the hold of Satan for death and damnation on all who believe. The gates of hell cannot prevail against this Gospel that has crushed the head of Satan over all mankind and delivers from the power of darkness.

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Ezekiel 8:14, says, “Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north and behold there sat women weeping for Tammuz.” Tammuz was the Phoenician equivalent of Baal. According to Gill, Tammuz taught the people to worship the stars of heaven and was violently slain for it. It was established on this evening every year should be weeping and sacrificing all night long until morning.

Jezebel was from Phoenicia so it makes sense that she and her Judean daughter Athaliah would worship in the temple of God in Judah the Phoenician deity Tammuz at this set holy day and time of his death.

The Roman Catholic church took this pagan holy day and adopted it into Roman Catholicism. It is a night of weeping and sacrificing and re-sacrificing of Christ, not His triumph, but His demise as His suffering and going to Hell are the main focus. Is this not Baal? They call it Good Friday keeping the very day of the pagan event even though Christ was three days and nights in the heart of the earth before His resurrection on the first day of the week, which in no way can be three days and three nights.

4. The Fourth epoch is Baal’s triumph and return to rule.

Baal has an heir to the Kingdom born of the virgin Anat. He rules now in the place of Baal with the spirit of Baal. His name is Athtar and he rules the earth until Baal returns. The virgin cohort of Baal fights Mot and slays Mot with the sword.

The season is Fall leading into winter with the falling of latter rain leading into and concluding successful harvests of crops. The latter rain is celebrated as the promise of the return of Baal, the god of earth, rain and sun to rule the world. The birth of the virgin’s child set up in Baal’s place to rule is celebrated by cutting down an evergreen tree and fastening it and decorating it and burning a “yule tide” log of it. Jeremiah 10:2-8 says,

Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them for they cannot do evil neither also is it in them to do good…But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.

The Roman Catholic church took this pagan holy day and adopted it into Roman Catholicism with all its pagan traditions and calls it Christmas.

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The son of Baal born to the virgin is the ruling on earth of Satan and evil spirits in men as principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places. Historically this was seen in the belief from Egypt to Rome to Japan and all over the world of Emperor worship. The King, Emperor, Pharaoh, Caesar, Czar, etc. was god incarnate to be worshipped as god awaiting the return of Baal to rule the world as god.

Roman Catholicism adopted this ruling practice in the doctrine of the Pope. He is religious head of the whole world. He is Pontifex Maximus, the Great High Priest, Vicar of Christ on earth. He speaks ex cathedra. He keeps kings in line and can excommunicate errant kings.

The event is still to come after the rapture when the antichrist comes and by flatteries and peace takes over the world with the help of the false prophet.

Catholicism took over the mystery pagan religions such as Baal worship and is today until the end this age Modern Baal Worship.

Catholic means universal. The Catholic church is the ancient religion of Nimrod that will bring in the Kingdom of Baal universal. Catholicism will overtake the true churches gone apostate and is known in the book of Revelation as the Mother of Harlots. After the rapture of the faithful Philadelphian church and the absorption of all the other harlot churches that fell to the Mother’s fornications, she will be cast into tribulation to rule the world for a short 7 years with the unholy trinity of Pope, (false prophet), antichrist, (Beast), and dragon, (Lucifer). Roman Catholicism as modern Baal worship is the woman that rides the beast that rules the world for seven years of tribulation.

The true Jesus Christ will come from Heaven with power and great glory and shall burn with fire the Great Harlot in Rome. See Revelation 17. Then the true Jesus will take the false prophet (pope) and the antichrist (beast) and cast them alive into the Lake of Fire where they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. He will also destroy all the nations gathered together against him. See Revelation 19. Then the true Jesus will rule the world for 1000 years. See Revelation 20.

Bibliography

Colliers Encyclopedia, Halsey and Friedman editors, Macmillan Educational Co. New York, 1985.

Exposition of the Entire Bible, John Gill.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Co. Grand Rapids Mi, 1979.

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Myth and Mystery, An Introduction to the Pagan religions of the Biblical World, Jack Finegan, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids Mi, 1989.

The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop, Chick Publications, Ontario CA.

Things To Come, J. Dwight Pentecost, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids Mi, 1958.

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